Leadership Biographies

Governor Mary Jo Brubaker

Mary Jo first joined the Kiwanis Family in Florida as a Keyette at Seminole High School. In 1987 the Kiwanis Club of Marietta, Georgia voted to accept women into their membership and Mary Jo joined the club as one of its first five women members. During her years as a member of the Marietta Club, Mary Jo contributed to a variety of committees including Spiritual Aims, International Understanding, Modified Marshall Plan, IDD, Major Emphasis Project, Scholarships and Flag Project.

Moving to North Carolina, Mary Jo joined the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk. Mary Jo has served her current club as a board member, Vice President and President. She has chaired the club’s major fund raiser, the annual Woolly Worm Festival and coordinated the club’s RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) project. Mary Jo has served Carolinas Kiwanis as Division 3 Lt. Governor, Division 3 Project Eliminate Chairperson, District Trustee for Region 1 and Chairperson of the District Committee on Fundraising. She has participated in training for New Club Builder and Club Counselor. Mary Jo serves on the Key Leader committee and is a Certified CLO Trainer. She is a George F. Hixson Fellow and a Walter Zeller Fellow.

Professionally, Dr. Mary Jo Brubaker has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Florida State University. She has worked for school systems in Florida and Georgia. Mary Jo is also a licensed Auctioneer in the State of North Carolina. Mary Jo strongly believes in servant leadership and over the years has served in a variety of leadership capacities for community organizations and churches. She is a member of the Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce and attends Banner Elk United Methodist Church. Mary Jo and her husband, Reverend Dan Brubaker, have two children and six grandchildren. Dan and Mary Jo reside in the mountains of Banner Elk with their Cairn Terriers: Corky, Muffin and Boomer.

Governor-Elect Greg McDonald

Greg has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Southport-Oak Island, NC since 2006. He has served as a volunteer, project manager, committee chair, board member, and Club President. He has also served as a Lt. Governor and District Formula Chair for the Carolinas District of Kiwanis International.

During Greg’s service in Kiwanis he has planned and led many of his Club’s major fundraising events, volunteered his time to assist in pre-school and elementary school reading programs, tutored at-risk students, taught leadership and life skills, judged senior projects for the high schools, proctored student achievement exams, and chaired the Scholarship Committee. He was instrumental in increasing his own club’s membership; chartering a new Circle K Club; and establishing, chartering, and supporting new Kiwanis clubs in other communities. As Formula Chair, Greg focused on helping clubs throughout the Carolinas both by coaching individual clubs and designing and presenting a series of Club Coaching Days that provide valuable club strengthening information to clusters of clubs in various areas.

Greg is a Distinguished Past-President, a Walter Zeller Fellow, and the recipient of a 2013-2014 International President’s Citation for Outstanding Leadership as Lt. Governor. He was honored by the Kiwanis International Foundation with its President’s Challenge Award for 2014-2015.

Greg has a long history of work with non-profit organizations as a project manager, board member, and officer. He served as Executive Director of the National Association for Search and Rescue for more than 8 years and has consulted with numerous organizations on management and organizational development.

Greg’s commitment to public and community service is life-long. He is an Eagle Scout and has worked with youth as a leader with the Boy Scouts, the YMCA, and the Civil Air Patrol. He served for 11 years in the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Reserve as a Pararescueman and has been decorated for both combat and non-combat heroism while saving lives of those injured and in peril. He spent more than 25 years working for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative agency of the Congress, retiring as a Senior Executive in 2003. Since retiring from GAO, Greg taught for 5 years as an adjunct faculty member at Brunswick Community College.

Greg has B.S. and M.P.A. degrees from Portland State University. He has completed the program on Managing the Information Services Resource at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business and the program on Leadership and Performance for Senior Executives at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the recipient of GAO’s Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Awards. He was a 1978-1980 Presidential Management Intern.

Greg is married to Margaret (Peggy) McDonald, who is also a Kiwanian and a Past-President of the Southport-Oak Island Club. They have three grown sons and four grandchildren.

Immediate Past Governor Les King

Les retired to his current home on Topsail Island, NC, in 1996, with his wife Connie, after completing a career in public education in Pennsylvania. Born and raised there, he attended the Sharon, PA public schools. After graduation, and at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he became an electronics specialist working in Naval Intelligence. Upon his discharge from the service, he returned to Pennsylvania where he earned Bachelors and Masters degrees from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Doctorate from Lehigh University. Les applied his education to the support and development of children as a Physics teacher, Planetarium Director and school administrator working in the Boyertown Area School District. He has also taught higher education for Penn State University, Lehigh University and Cabrini College.

During those same years, Les served as a Councilman on his Town Council in Boyertown, and as a member of the Board of Directors for his local United Way. He served the New Hanover United Methodist Church by heading up their consecration and tithing initiative. He also represented his school system as an active member of his local Rotary club. Les and Connie enjoy astronomy and frequently share their passion with students and other serious amateurs. Their son, Chris, and his wife, Cindy, still reside in Pennsylvania where Chris is a senior high school chemistry teacher. Their own three kids, Beth, and twins, Katie and John, are all excellent scholar athletes and musicians.

After retiring to NC in 1996, Les became a member of the Topsail Island Area Kiwanis Club where he became a Distinguished Member, Club President, Lt. Governor for Division 18, District Trustee for Region 6, an MNT Multi-Divisional Coordinator, District Chair for Education and Leadership Development and ultimately our 2015-16 Governor-Elect. Les understands that “Creative planning is far superior to creative problem solving.” He believes strongly in the potential of Kiwanis to make a significant positive difference in the lives of all children within the Carolinas District. In his own words, “Together, we can accomplish some pretty amazing things. It requires our careful planning, the application of “best practices” and the pooling of our efforts, talents and resources. It is great to be a part of it all! ”

District Treasurer Bill Clingenpeel

Bill’s Kiwanis journey began in South Bend, Indiana at the Potawatomi Kiwanis Club in of 1978. It all began because a friend, George Lamphere, asked him to consider such a venture. Bill’s employment travels provided him an opportunity to serve Kiwanis in the Indiana, Florida and Carolinas Districts. He has been Club President twice and distinguished once. Past International Vice President Jim Brooks asked him to run for Lt. Governor in 1988 and Jim would not accept no for an answer. With the help of many great Kiwanians Bill became a Distinguished Lt. Governor. Bill has served several past Governors in various capacities: As Interclub Chair under Phil Harris; and, as District Chair of the Kiwanis International Foundation for seven years beginning with Governor Henry Fishburne’s term. At the request of David Burnette Bill became a Certified Trainer for CLO and still remains a member of the District Education Committee. He also was appointed to the Executive Committee of the District Foundation where he served for nine years, three as Vice President and three as President. In 2004 Bev Martin appointed him District Treasurer where he remained until last year when he was elected Governor-elect.

Bill holds several honors. He holds life member status in Kiwanis International and the Carolinas District. Bill is a member of the George F. Hixson Fellowship and a Legion of Honor member with 33 years perfect attendance. In addition, he is a charter member of both the Heritage and Legacy Societies. He is a Carl B. Hyatt Fellow and a Tablet of Honor recipient from KI. In 2000, Bill received the Larry A. Hapgood Outstanding District Chairman Award from the KIF. The “Past Lt. Governor of the Year” award was presented to Bill twice (1995-96 & 2006-07) from the Past Lt. Governors Council for his service to the Carolinas District.

Outside of Kiwanis Bill serves as a volunteer administrator for the Black Cap Veterans Group which has 238 members. Bill and Marjorie have been married for 46 years and attend the Presbyterian Church. During their entire married life they have always had two indoor feline “fur kids”.